In December, 1917, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, SS
Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship loaded with wartime munitions,
and SS Imo, a Belgian relief ship, accidentally collided in a section
of Halifax Harbor aptly named The Narrows. The result was the
biggest accidental explosion in world history. Upon
hearing of the news, Boston immediately sent a relief train with doctors,
nurses, and supplies to aid the devastated city.

In 1919, Halifax sent Boston a Christmas Tree in gratitude for
the assistance, and the Nova Scotia Christmas Tree
tradition was borne. Each year a tree-lighting ceremony takes place on
Boston Common in memory of the tragedy, and in celebration of Christmas
and human fraternité.

This year, the Nova Scotia Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take
place on Thursday December TBA, 2017, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
The tree will be lit up at 8:00 pm by Mayor Walsh, who will be joined
onstage by Minister Andrew Younger of Canada, members of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, and Santa Claus. The show will close with a
pyrotechnic display by MagicFire, Inc.

This year's performers include TBA. In previous years,
artists such as comedian Jimmy Tingle, cast
members from Motown The Musical, The Voice contestant
Brittany Butler, the New England Patriots Cheerleaders,
Nova Scotia band The Stanfields, the Floorlords
dance troupe, and the Holy Tabernacle Church Christmas Cantata Choir,
have performed at the ceremony. The event has
grown in popularity, with kids and adults alike enjoying this traditional
opening of the Christmas Season in Boston.

Nova Scotia Christmas Tree

The Halifax Explosion should always be remembered. Here's the story of the tragedy that
unfolded on December 6, 1917:

The collision of the two ships originated when the outgoing Imo was passing through The Narrows on the wrong (east) side
of the harbor. An incoming American ship, that was planning to dock on the east side
of the harbor, communicated with Imo, and they both agreed to
pass each other on the wrong sides of the channel. Another ship, a tugboat
called Stella Maris, was passing Imo at the same time.
Imagine two cars both traveling on the wrong sides of
the road, with another vehicle attempting to drive down the center in between
them.

The Mont-Blanc was also coming into the harbor on the correct (east)
side and heading directly toward Imo. Imo and Mont-Blanc exchanged signals,
but neither ship changed course. Eventually, at the last moment, the
captain of the Mont-Blanc decided to turn the ship to the left
and try to avoid the oncoming Imo. Upon seeing this, the captain of
the Imo ordered full reverse of the engines in an attempt to stop and give
Mont-Blanc more room to turn. However, the backward action of
the propellers slightly altered the course of Imo, bringing both
ships into a collision course.

The damage to either ship was not severe,
but Imo's bow got lodged into Mont-Blanc and the
impact toppled several barrels of benzol aboard the Mont-Blanc. Sparks
flying from the metal points of impact ignited the benzol, and soon a huge fire was roaring on
one side of the Mont-Blanc. The
captain ordered his men to abandon ship. The flaming ship drifted slowly
towards the shore, with no one knowing about its cargo except for the
fleeing crew, who shouted warnings in French to mostly
English-speaking onlookers. As firefighters and nearby boats came in
to extinguish the blaze, the inevitable happened—the Mont-Blanc exploded.

In a fraction of a second, the explosion released a shockwave equivalent to that of
almost 3,000 tons of TNT, roughly a fifth of the force of an atomic bomb. The
explosion also triggered a 59-foot tall tsunami which devastated waterfront
areas. Even worse, the explosion
occurred in winter, and the shockwave caused oil lamps and
furnaces to tip or spill, starting fires that raged in entire blocks of the city.
The explosion was felt and heard as far away as 130
miles. An estimate of around 2,000 people died in the incident, 1,600 of
them dying immediately as a result of the blast, tsunami, and
collapse of buildings. 9,000 people were injured, of which 6,000 were severe.
1,630 homes were destroyed and around 12,000 more suffered damage. Mi'kmaq settlement,
a community of around 20 families, was completely
obliterated. About 100 children died while walking to one school located in the
Richmond District. Shells and projectiles rained down upon Halifax
as munitions exploded on the Mont-Blanc, with many people initially believing
that the city was
being bombarded by the Germans.

This tragedy did not happen without
acts of bravery and selflessness by local residents. In particular, a railway
dispatcher named Vincent Coleman was a true hero. Upon hearing the news of the danger
from the burning Mont-Blanc, Vincent intended to flee. However, upon
remembering that a passenger train from New Brunswick was due to arrive
within minutes, he returned to his post and sent out the following
urgent telegraph message to stop the train: "A munitions ship
on fire and is making for Pier 8. Goodbye." Coleman's message was heard by
incoming trains, and the New Brunswick train was able to stop a safe
distance from the blast radius, saving about 300 lives. The crew of the Tug Boat
Stella Maris had attempted to douse the flames on the Mont-Blanc
with its fire hose just before the explosion, and 19 (of 24) men were killed. Also, nine
members of the Halifax Fire Department died while performing their duties
during the tragedy.

Upon hearing of the news, Boston immediately launched a relief train with
doctors, nurses, food, water, and supplies
towards Halifax. Despite the heavy snowfall which slowed the train, it
reached its destination 700 miles away a day and a half after the
explosion. The volunteers from Boston stayed there for weeks, and also
helped with the rebuilding effort. Aside from the initial relief train,
Boston also contributed an entire warehouse full of household goods to
support the rehabilitation effort.

As to the cause of the disaster, three people were initially deemed
responsible: Aimé Le Medec, Mont-Blanc's captain, Francis
Mackey, Mont-Blanc's pilot, and Frederick Wyatt, the Royal Canadian Officer in
charge of harbor movements. The first two were charged with manslaughter,
but were eventually acquitted. Wyatt was censured for not acquainting
himself enough with harbor ship movements on that ill-fated morning. Two years later in May,
1919, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that both ships in the collision
shared equal blame for the incident.

The following year, Halifax shipped a Christmas tree to the city of Boston as
a token of gratitude and remembrance for the latter's invaluable aid in the
relief effort. In 1971, a Christmas tree producer's association began an annual
donation to Boston to revive this Thanksgiving tradition, and was later taken over by
the Nova Scotia Government. This gift is Boston's official Christmas tree, with
the Mayor hosting a tree-lighting ceremony each year. Guests from Nova Scotia
attend the event, with adults and children from both countries mingling to
celebrate Christmas and to remember those who lost their lives in 1917.